GK & Current Affairs Quiz: August 10, 2017

Notes:The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC countries has started in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 10, 2017. During the two day meeting foreign ministers of member countries will review the progress in identified fourteen areas of cooperation and discuss ways to accelerate cooperation under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) process. The Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is representing India in the meeting and will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the members countries.

2. Rinku Hooda, who won silver at the World U-20 Para Athletics Championships, is associated with which sports?

Notes:Rinku Hooda (18) from India has won silver in the F46 javelin throw event at the World U-20 Para Athletics Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland on August 7, 2017. He got disabled as a three-year-old when his left arm got stuck in a paddy-sowing machine. He won his first national level medal in 2013 during a para nationals meet at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Rohtak.

3. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has launched Android Skill Development programme with which tech giant?

Notes:The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India has launched Android Skill Development programme to impart mobile development training on the Android and Web platform and to improve the quality of mobile app development ecosystem in India. The NSDC is a public-private partnership enterprise under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Under the initiative, NSDC will introduce a specific course with the scope to train developers to create applications for the mobile platform that can be used on smartphone and tablets running on the Android operating system. The NSDC and Google India will also work together to focus on up-skilling Android trainers under the programme.

4. Which state government has launched a new awareness drive “Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra”?

Notes:Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra from his official residence in state capital Lucknow. The drive will be focusing on cleanliness along the banks of Ganga river and maintain hygiene. The yatra will be organized by the Uttar Pradesh Home Guards and will help in spreading awareness in about 25 districts situated on the banks of river Ganga in the state. It will urge people to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the Ganga river. The drive will be covering a total area of around 1,025 kms and will conclude on September 6, 2017.

5. Which state will become the India’s first state to implement coal utilisation between power units?

Notes:The Gujarat government has recently issued a tender for power developers to receive cheap coal marked for the state in return for selling coal-based power at less than Rs 2.82 a unit. Through the auction, Gujarat will transfer the coal allocated to power generating stations owned by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation (GSECL) to more fuel-efficient private power plants. With this, Gujarat will become the India’s first state to implement coal utilisation between power units. The move is in line with the initiatives of the central government to ensure fuel availability to stressed power plants. The aim is to reduce the cost of fuel for financially ailing distribution companies and ensure effective distribution of domestic coal.

Notes:The Parliamentary Panel headed by Maj. General (Retired) B C Khanduri has recently tabled its report in Parliament. In the report, the panel has recommended the 100% pension to widow of deceased soldier so that she can take care of her family. The report stated that after the death of a soldier, the pension of the spouse comes down to 60% of his pension. The committee feels that after the death of a soldier, the spouse usually faces severe problems due to the loss of the breadwinner. The committee also recommended that liberalized and special family pensions to be exempted from income tax for the widows of war like counter insurgency situations or on the line of control as is being given to disabled soldiers. The panel also supported the demand of Defence Forces representative should be included in the Central Pay Commission to address the grievances in respect of pay and allowances and their issues.

7. Which union minister has launched the NCERT web portal for home delivery of books?

Notes:Upendra Kushwaha, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, has launched the NCERT’s Web portal for supply of textbooks to schools and individuals at a function in New Delhi on August 9, 2017. The portal will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country and address the concerns of schools and parents, regarding unavailability of textbooks. The Web Portal can be accessed at www.ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in. The schools will be able to log on to the portal, by entering their respective Boards’ affiliation numbers and other details, till 8th of next month for placing their orders for the session 2018-19. Soon, the portal will also be opened to the individual buyers. They can place their orders by login in onto the portal, and books will be delivered at their doorsteps with nominal postal charges. The NCERT textbooks can also be downloaded, free of cost, from its website.

8. Sitaram Panchal, who passed away recently, was associated with which field?

Notes:Bollywood actor Sitaram Panchal (54), who was best known for his acts in Bandit Queen and Peepli Live, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on August 10, 2017. During his lifetime, Panchal worked in films like Peepli Live, Pan Singh Tomar, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Slumdog Millionaire, Jolly LLB 2, etc.

9. The Mandla Plant Fossils National Park (MPNP) is located in which state?

Notes:The Mandla Plant Fossils National Park (MPNP) is located in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 274,100 square metres. This national park has plants in fossil form that existed in India anywhere between 40 million and 150 million years ago spread over seven villages of Mandla District viz. Ghuguwa, Umaria, Deorakhurd, Barbaspur, Chanti-hills, Chargaon and Deori Kohani.

Notes:Real Madrid, a professional football club of Spain, has won the 2017 UEFA Super Cup football tournament by defeating Manchester United in the final by 2-1 at the Philip II Arena in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 8, 2017. It is their 4th UEFA Super Cup title.